


English SOS

by liestotheheart (liesunheardof)



Series: English 101 [2]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-07
Updated: 2016-03-14
Packaged: 2018-05-12 08:13:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5659147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liesunheardof/pseuds/liestotheheart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joshua misses California. Living in Korea isn't bad, but he's a LA boy at heart. So all his after school activities are a way for him to bolster his application to get into colleges back home. There's nothing keeping him in Korea. But this new tutoring gig might put a wrench in his plans. Yoon Jeonghan should just be another jock who's bad at English, yet he's slowly creeping his way into Joshua's heart. Joshua doesn't want to fall though. He doesn't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Another Tutoring Gig

**Author's Note:**

> Whoooo! The companion fic is coming out sooner than I thought. Hope you all enjoy it. I'm aiming for more of less the same lenghth as English for Dummies. So another 3 parter. Read on and enjoy. Please comment with love or with critique if you want. Till the next part.

Looking down at his Korean textbooks, Joshua wondered for the umpteenth time why his parents decided to come back to their home country. He knew it was because his Dad was transferred back to the Korean branch to train new personnel for different branches, before he would be moved back to the American branch. But he didn’t see the point of having to move him as well. Joshua didn’t mind the school. He minded the changes. The abrupt changes that happened to his life. He was forced to roll with punches and some days he still hated it. Once his father was done training the new workers for the office he managed they’d be able to go back to California. But who knew when that would happen. He could be spending the rest of his high school career here. Maybe even college. As much as he loved his mom, he didn’t think he could deal with going to university here unless something worth it came along. Which he highly doubted. He missed the California sun, the constant warmth, and the atmosphere of Southern California. He’d be back in California going to college even if he had to fight his mom for it.

“Hey Josh!” rang through the empty music room. He whipped his head around to see Vernon in the doorway.

“What’s up Vernon? Did you and Seungkwan get into a fight and you need some advice on how to woo your way back into your boyfriend’s good graces?” Joshua said with more bite than his usual calm attitude.

“Whoa. Dude what’s got your panties in a bunch today?” Vernon asked.

“Life, Vernon. Life in Korea to be exact.” He replied with a huge sigh.

“Ah. Well you won’t like what I have to say then. Your homeroom teacher asked for you. Apparently he has a favor to ask. It’s probably tutoring some other poor soul in English again, but you know that shit looks good on your college apps. Especially since you plan to go back to California for university.”

“Hmm. Again huh. This early into the year? Must be one of the athletes then.” He let out a huge breath of air. “Hopefully this one is easy to teach and learns fast. Juggling helping my mom out at the café, this tutoring side extracurricular, and music club is enough to make me crazy sometimes.”

“You could always say no. It’s not like you need that much extracurriculars.” Vernon replied.

“Yea, but I actually like music club and helping out my mom at the café. Not to mention I’d like to make sure I do my best to get into any university I apply for. The requirements are different in California then they are here in South Korea.” He said pausing. “Being an all-rounder, with out of school activities and good grades, is more likely to get me in.”

“Eyes on the prize huh hyung?”

“Exactly, Vernon. I’ll see you after school?” Joshua said with a questioning tone, as he got up to leave.

“Uh huh. Seungkwan wants me for one of his songs. Not to mention if I didn’t walk him home, he’d kill me.” Vernon responded, giving his head a little shake.

Joshua smirked. “Aren’t you used to the fact that Seungkwan has you wrapped around his little finger already? Admitting your love for your baby Boo isn’t a bad thing Vernon.” Joshua laughed as Vernon blushed a deep pink to the roots of his curly hair. “Better get back to your boyfriend.” He advised, walking out the door with that parting shot.

* * *

 

Approaching his homerooms teacher’s desk, he announced, “I heard you wanted to see me, Mr. Kang.”

“Ah, Joshua. Perfect. Mrs. Park the English teacher for Class 3 is looking for a tutor for one of her student athletes. He’s one the of the stars of the basketball team. So if you could help, it would do the school a big favor. And it would also secure you a few more recommendation letters for the American colleges you wanted to apply for. Will you do it?”

Joshua perked up at the mention of more recommendation letters. Those letters would be a huge asset, and worth the trouble of taking on another time consuming activity of tutoring an athlete so they could play on the team. “Of course, Mr. Kang. As long as I get to make the tutoring schedule.”

“Mrs. Park knows your reputation for being a good English tutor. I'm sure she will be fine accommodating your schedule. Jeonghan will have to deal if he wants to play that badly.” Mr. Kang replied, voice full of confidence. “There’s Mrs. Park now.”

He turned around to look at a petite woman wearing kitten heels in a no nonsense suit. Joshua stood by the side while he watched Mr. Kang and Mrs. Park talk. Most likely about his only demand and the recommendation letters.

She looked his way. Joshua introduced himself after a bow, “Hello, Mrs. Park. I’m Joshua Hong.”

She smiled at him and said, “Let’s go talk at my desk. I can tell you about the student you’re tutoring.” Together they walked towards the desks by the window. Sitting down in the seat Mrs. Park gestured at, he settled down. “What have you heard from Mr. Kang so far?” She questioned.

“One of the basketball players is having trouble in English class and needs a tutor.”

“Yes. Yoon Jeonghan, is one of the star basketball players on the team and he’s failing my class. The school and the basketball coach need him playing, but his grade in this class will prevent it if he can’t bring it up. That’s where you come in. I’ve heard that you worked wonders for the students you’ve tutored, and I was hoping you’d be able to do the same for Jeonghan.”

“I can try and do my best. He just has to be willing to put in the time. And to work with my schedule.” Joshua replied back with a smile on his face. As long as they agreed to his timeframe Joshua could work with just about anyone. He was a calm person, too calm his friends would say. Until he exploded that is.

“In this case, Jeonghan will have to adjust to your time schedule if he wants to be playing again. You can meet him after school today?”

“Yes, after music club is over. I guess he would be at the gym?” Joshua responded, tilting his head to the side.

“He would. I’ll tell him the news when he sees me after school.”

Joshua got up and said his goodbyes. Looking down at his watch, he saw he had fifteen minutes of lunch left. The black haired boy decided to find Seungkwan and get some more information on this Yoon Jeonghan. He wanted to know if this was going to be easy tutoring gig or not. If Jeonghan was going to be a thorn in his side, then getting those recommendation letters weren’t going to be worth the trouble.

* * *

 

Luckily for Joshua he found Seungkwan exactly where he thought he would. On the roof sitting in Vernon’s lap. Calling out to them, he sat face down in front of Seungkwan. “What do you know about Yoon Jeonghan?”

“Yoon Jeonghan? The basketball player?” Seungkwan asked.

Joshua nodded. “He’s the kid I’m tutoring. I want to know if it’s going to be worth it or if the guy is going to give me problems.”

Humming, Seungkwan looked up for a moment thinking. “He’s pretty popular. A lot of girls and even some guys are into him. He’s got a very distinct look. Blond hair that’s a little beyond shoulder length. A pretty handsome face… and,”

Joshua interrupted him. “No, no, not how he looks like Seungkwan. I want to know about his personality. I’m trying to gauge if he’s going to be easy to tutor or not.”

“Oh, you should’ve said so hyung.” Seungkwan said, his eyes wide in surprise. Vernon snickered behind him, too used to Seungkwan and his ever speaking mouth.

“He kind of did baby.” Seungkwan pouted a bit, ready to sass back at Vernon. Joshua again interrupted him before things could stray far from what he was looking for.

“Back to my question.” He said with a pointed look at both Seungkwan and Vernon.

“He’s pretty easy going. Sticks to his circle of friends a lot, but can be a social butterfly. Most of his time is spent training, which is why his ex-girlfriends broke up with him. But they did say he was nice and caring, if a little spacey at times.”

“Sometimes I wonder how you get this much information. It’s one thing to know his personality but it’s another to know what his exes say about him.” Joshua giving him a funny look, shaking his head in disbelief. Some days Joshua wondered if his idea that Seungkwan had a small network of spies were completely off base, but this wasn’t one of those said days.

“Girls like to gossip and they’re loud lot of the time. Even when they think they’re whispering.” He said with a huff. Vernon and Joshua just laughed.

“So how’s this tutoring thing supposed to work out if he’s so busy with training.” Vernon asked.

“I don’t know. The only thing is that he has to compromise somehow otherwise I can’t tutor him and I won’t change my schedule around for him. I told his English teacher that and she seemed fine with it.” Joshua stated.

“Laying down the law already?” Vernon snickered.

He huffed. “He seems to be a busy guy. And I’m busy too. It’ll be easier this way…” As he trailed off the warning bell rang, prompting them to get to class. Joshua would see them later during music club practice anyhow. The only difference in his day was that after practice was over, he would have to go see Yoon Jeonghan about tutoring.

* * *

 

Packing up his guitar, he swung the case around to rest it against his back. He turned around saying his goodbyes to the other members and bumping fists with Vernon on his way out. Joshua walked out of the building and towards the gym. Even from a good number of feet away he could hear the squeaking of the basketball shoes, shouts for defense, orders to shoot more accurately, and the thumps of basketballs on the gym floor. He took careful steps to the open door of the gym and peeked in. Spotting what looked to be an underclassman, Joshua called him over. He told him who he was looking for, and watched as the other boy approached what looked to be the coach. The coach turned towards him and nodded. The boy came back to tell Joshua to wait while Jeonghan came out. As he walked away, Joshua looked onto the court to see long ashy blond hair. Remembering what Seungkwan said about long blond hair, he tried to get a look at his face but couldn’t get a clear glimpse. Joshua backed out the doors, just in case. He didn’t want to get hit by stray balls only to fall and hurt his precious guitar.

Joshua looked up at the sky and stared. He wondered if for the umpteenth time if this was going to be worth it. He watched the clouds with a smile on his face until he heard a throat being cleared. Turning around he saw what he hoped was Yoon Jeonghan. The other boy did have ashy blond hair in a ponytail. His face was handsome to say the least. High cheekbones, a straight, strong nose, and his unique hairstyle. No wonder people were after him. But this wasn’t what Joshua was here for.

“You’re Jeonghan?” He asked. The blond nodded. Joshua smiled at him. “Hi, I’m Joshua. Your English tutor. Mrs. Park told me you were having trouble. Hopefully I can help you understand English better. I heard that you’re one of the main players and that bringing up your English grade is super important. So I guess starting soon is something we should do.  I’m free after school on Tuesdays, Thursdays. The weekends I’m normally free but it depends. How about you?” He said tilting his head to the side in inquiry. Joshua didn’t want to tutor on the weekends but if they needed too he’d have to deal he supposed.        

Jeonghan stared at him rather hard. Joshua wondered why. It’s not like he was speaking another language. Maybe it was because Jeonghan must’ve thought he would look more foreign.

Speaking in a clear slightly thin voice, the blond said, “I’m free on the weekends. I’m technically not free after school at all until after practice, but Coach wants me to be able to play when the official games start so I have permission to start practice later or cut it short.”

Joshua hummed contemplating and said, “We can start with Tuesdays and Thursdays after school. We can add more days of tutoring depending on how much help you’ll need and how fast you can learn. Sound all right with you?”

Jeonghan nodded and agreed. Joshua smiled and asked to exchange numbers for future communications. Tapping Jeonghan’s number into his phone he heard the other guy say, “I’d take your number down but my phone is in my locker right now.”

Joshua replied, “I’ll text you later with a location to meet up for future tutoring sessions.” Giving Jeonghan one last smile he walked away with a wave. Head high towards the sky, Joshua hoped this would be a relatively easy and uncomplicated tutoring gig.

 


	2. Falling?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Googled the Korean so if it's incorrect I'm sorry. And sorry for the long wait, I was busy celebrating my birthday in Jan and trying to wrangle this story into something half way decent.

Walking through the front door of his home, he bent down to unlace his sneakers and noticed that his Mom’s heels were there as well. It surprised him. Considering since they came to Korea his Mom was preoccupied with setting up the café and getting it running smoothly. That left her at the café for long hours. Some days she left the café early and left the closing to the night shift manager. Other days she and his Dad would come home together; his Dad picking her up on his way back from the office. Those days Joshua cooked for himself. His parents normally didn’t come back until late in the evening, which left him home alone for long periods of time.

It was different from how the family was back in LA. His Mom left her job before 5 and was home with him; both of them cooking dinner together on days Joshua wasn’t busy with his guitar lessons or homework. Then an hour or two later his Dad came home and they ate dinner together and talked. He missed it now. They hardly saw each other unless it was on the weekends and unless his parents came home early, or if he was at the café on the weekends helping out. His Dad was busy with work after parties and his Mom busy with the café.

Coming to Korea made him miss and appreciate the closeness they had before. Now it was hurried Hello’s, Good Morning’s, and tired Good night’s. Maybe a few pat on the backs and some questions on how he was doing. Dinner talks were gone and practically nonexistent. For the first time in his life as an only child, he felt lonely at home instead of comfortable in the silence.

He let out a sigh. Thinking about all the big changes made him melancholy. His mom was home early; he should be happy. He put a smile on his face. Joshua silently stepped through the hallway. Walking close to the wall, he made sure to keep to the shadows. He creeped into the kitchen silently approaching his mom, who was in front of the fridge. “Boo!” He shouted as he grabbed her shoulders. His Mom let out a yelp and dropped what looked like daikon radish on the floor. Joshua snickered loudly.

She turned around and gave him a swat on his arm. “Joshua Hong!” She gave him a stern look. “What is wrong with you? Giving your mom a greeting like that.”

Still snickering his words came out stuttered, “Aww, Mom. It was for fun. Don’t… ge-get mad at me.” Joshua kept laughing into his hand, side eyeing the look on his Mom’s face. Her mouth twitched as if she was going to smile, but she kept her mouth in a grim line, even though her eyes sparkled with mirth.

Sighing she picked up the radish. “My only child.” Tsking she grabbed the rest of her ingredients. “Silly boy. Did you miss me that much that you wanted to scare me?”

“Yeah,” he replied quietly, looking his Mom in the eye. “I haven’t been able to talk to you. Beyond the small talk we do at night. If we do speak at all.”

He stared as her face softened. She took on a regretful expression and opened her arms. Joshua stepped into the hug and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. His mom rubbed circles into his back softly telling him her apologies for being too busy to even speak to him. It felt nice. Joshua wasn’t angry or resentful about the situation; he just had to adjust. It was irksome and definitely not his first choice, but he was a child still under his parents so he didn’t have a choice. He just had to deal.

She moved to start petting his hair. He moved out of her embrace, simultaneously annoyed at being coddled by his mom yet wanting more attention. She said, “I’m sorry about how things are turning out here. I know you didn’t protest when the news came, but I could tell you didn’t want to come here. Thank you for that.” She gave him a smile.

He ducked his head and just shrugged his shoulders. He knew that fighting about it wouldn’t help change their minds so why put up a huge fuss. So he swallowed all the words and annoyance. Joshua bent down to pick up the radish and said, “Let’s cook dinner.” The black haired boy knew that the change of subject was crappy and abrupt, but he didn’t want to talk about it anymore.

The two started to prepare, with his mom chopping up the ingredients and Joshua checking the simmering soup. With one final chop on the cutting board his Mom gathered up the ingredients in a bowl. She laid it down near the pan and turned to look at him.

“I know about the brochures. UCLA, Berkeley, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Riverside and the many others. You didn’t do a very good job of hiding them Joshua.” She said softly, looking at her son.

He stared back, jaw tight in defense, eyes never wavering from her eyes, “I wasn’t trying to hide them. I just didn’t know how to tell you about my plans.” Shrugging his shoulders. He continued, “I needed you to see them.”

“Are you considering the idea of going to college here in Korea at all?” She questioned.

“No.” Joshua said decisively. “I…the atmosphere of the school system isn’t what I'm looking for.” He paused. He tried thinking of a nice way to say he missed California without making his Mom feel bad, but there really wasn’t. “I miss California. I just miss it.”

She nodded with sad eyes and turned back to the pan and the ingredients. For the rest of the time, they cooked in silence, not speaking until his Dad came home.

His Mom didn’t mention the college brochures at all during dinner. Neither did he.

* * *

 

Joshua left his parents downstairs talking about who knows what. He doubted it was about his choice to go back to California without them. He grabbed his phone and texted Jeonghan.

Hey, Jeonghan. It’s Joshua, your English tutor. I managed to reserve one of the small study rooms in the school’s library for the next few months. Bring your old tests and homework papers if you can. It’ll help me see what we need to work on. I’ll see you there tomorrow after school. :)

Looking down at the text he sighed. He didn’t actually make a reservation so much as it was practically reserved for him always anyhow. Ever since he came to Korea he had managed to tutor five other students in the past year alone. The librarians knew him so well they just left that room for his use. It would’ve been nice to use it as an actual study room rather than a tutoring room, but since he never actually studied at school, it was a moot point.

Lying down on his bed, Joshua wondered why he took on another thing that would just eat up his small amount of free time. It’s wasn’t as if he didn’t already have activities and other things that would help him get into university. But he wanted to get in badly enough to mess with his already filled schedule some more. If he didn’t get in, everything he did would be for nothing. And he wasn’t sure if he could deal with the disappointment.

* * *

 

Joshua spent the school day as normal; taking notes, listening to the teacher, eating lunch in the music room, and playing around with the instruments. Everything was normal except for the fact that after school he had to start tutoring sessions with the long-haired blond basketball player. He lugged a bag full of English materials to school; Jeonghan had better show up. But hearing about how desperate the poor guy was, he’d probably be there ready to learn. The last time Joshua had to tutor a jock, he didn’t pay attention to Joshua at all. That guy learned really quick what happened when one didn’t listen to the tutor your teacher asked to help you. The athlete bombed the class and got booted off the team; he was just one of the many it seemed, semi-talented but not talented enough to bother keeping if he wasn’t going to try to follow school policy about grades and playing on sports teams.

School ended and up the stairs he went. Joshua made his way to the study room and started to set up. Taking out the English guides and books he laid them to the left of him at the front of the table. He made sure to see if he had his little diagnostic test, that he compiled from other materials, and his worksheets in one of his frequently used English for dummies books. Not that the actual title of said books were actually English for dummies, but that’s what Vernon called them and the name stuck.

He was about sifting through the papers to find the appropriate papers when he heard a knock. Joshua looked up and saw Yoon Jeonghan clad in his school uniform, a nice contrast to yesterday’s basketball shorts and a t-shirt. Joshua smiled at him and said hello. For some reason Jeonghan stared at him silently. Joshua looked at him in concern, wondering if this was the spacey personality quirk that Seungkwan talked about. Walking up to Jeonghan, he waved his hand in front of his face. “Jeonghan? Hey, Earth to Jeonghan,” trying to get his attention.

That jerked Jeonghan out of his haze and he replied after clearing his throat, “I’m fine. Just got lost in the clouds for a bit.” Jeonghan gave Joshua an embarrassed smile, which Joshua oddly thought was cute.

The black haired boy smiled in return. He chuckled and said, “I get lost in the clouds a lot too.” Joshua gestured towards the table, “Let’s sit and talk about how we’re going to go about getting your English grade up.” Jeonghan nodded; they both moved towards the table with Joshua taking the seat at the head of the table and Jeonghan at the side. “I’ve tutored a few other students before and how I normally start is with giving a practice test, while I look at your previous tests and assignments to get a feel on where we should focus on and what doesn’t need work. From there I tailor the sessions towards your weaknesses. Unfortunately, I have to add some minor amount of work to your regular work load to make sure it’s sinking into your brain. I also help with your regular English homework but not too much. I normally help you with anything that seems too hard for you, and then correct your mistakes as a way to get you used to the language. Any questions?”

His spiel was practically seared into his mind at this point from saying it one too many times. Joshua looked at Jeonghan who had worried expression on his face. Worried being mild, for a few seconds the other boy looked like what Joshua said was spelling his doom.

The blond opened his mouth and asked, “How much work is minor?”

“It’s normally only one to two worksheets. As we get more advanced I might ask you to write a few paragraphs about your day, your future plans, or things about your past in English so you can get more practice. It depends on how fast you progress and how much you need to catch up on the material in your actual English class.” He said with placing his finger on his chin. “So if there’s no more questions let’s get started,” Joshua stated, pulling out a worksheet from the most used English for dummies book. He handed the paper to Jeonghan.

“You brought your old stuff like I asked right?” Joshua then made a ‘give me’ gesture with his hand. Jeonghan nodded, his blond ponytail making a swishing sound; the black haired boy simply made the same gesture again. He watched as the blond turned around and unzipped his backpack and handed over a small stack of papers to him. Nodding in satisfaction, Joshua said, “You should take out a pencil too. You have thirty minutes to finish the practice test I just gave you,” head tilting towards the paper in front of Jeonghan. He waited until Jeonghan had a pencil in his hand. Seeing the pencil, he said, “Time starts now. Good luck.” Joshua sent a smile Jeonghan’s way and then looked down at the papers in his hand to see the damage and just how much work they needed to do.

Joshua shuffled through the papers taking note on what Jeonghan seemed to make the most frequent mistakes in and what questions just went unanswered. Looking at the papers he could tell that the blond wasn’t an idiot, it’s just that he was missing huge gaps in his knowledge. Vocabulary words were all right. Spelling was a bit better. The sentence structure and grammar were the biggest problems. It was always those two it seemed. Joshua sighed internally. At least these problems were fixable. He looked up to find Jeonghan staring at him. Joshua tilted his head in question, and mouthed to Jeonghan while tapping at his watch, ‘You’re running out of time.’

He sifted through the rest of the blonde’s papers. Putting them down, he looked up to watch Jeonghan as he slowly answered the test questions. He noticed the pauses, the grimaces, and the look of utter despair on the other boy’s face. It was like watching an intense episode of an anime, where the main character learned some shockingly ridiculous secret. He watched until the time ended.

Joshua called time and the blond let out a sigh and slid the page over to him. “All right. Let’s see how much we need to work on,” Joshua quietly stated, giving Jeonghan a smile to calm him down. Taking a red pen off the table, Joshua marked up his test. With every increasing red mark, he sighed internally. At least the mistakes coincided with the mistakes he normally made on his old work. Slashing the last question red, Joshua looked up at Jeonghan with a slightly strained smile, “I guess we have our work cut out for us. Let’s begin.”

* * *

 

“Right so it seems that your main problems are with sentence structure and subject-verb agreement. Which is understandable since the Korean language doesn’t actually use subject-verb agreement the way English does and the sentence structure in English is rather different depending on your actual sentence. But these two things are essential.” Going up to the white board, Joshua started to write out an example in English: ‘I am. He/She is. They are. We are.’ Pointing at the ‘I am.’, “In English we can say _I am American_. In Korean it’s _jeonun miguk saram imnida_. But when we talk about someone else, _She/he is American_ versus _geunyeoneun miguk-in-ida_.”

Underlining the verbs, Joshua pointed and said, “If you look at the difference it’s that in English the verb changes with the subject and in Korean it doesn’t. The verb changing always happens in the English language. There are tricks to remembering when and how to change it. But for now let’s start a bit slow and build up speed.” Jeonghan at this point took out a notebook and a pen to take notes. Joshua nodded and turned back to the whiteboard and continued to teach. So far so good.

After about a half hour of teaching Jeonghan grammar rules he decided it was time to switch to helping the blond with his homework. “All right, let’s switch over to your homework for the remaining time. Wouldn’t want you to miss all of basketball practice.” He capped the dry erase marker and put it away, grabbing a pencil for himself. Joshua walked over to sit next Jeonghan, who grabbed his homework assignment out of his bag. Glancing down at the paper, he noticed it was simple enough for him, but not so much for Jeonghan. Translating paragraphs into English after answering a short prompt in both Korean and English. Along with a few minor vocabulary words to learn and make sentences with. “Let’s start with the vocabulary words and work our way up.” He said as he gave Jeonghan what he hoped looked like an encouraging smile. Seeing the blond nod his head, Joshua must’ve sent him the right type of expression. He slid into the seat next to him, and asked Jeonghan to sound out the words.

With a sigh of relief, Jeonghan put his pencil down and flopped his arms and head onto the table. “Finally. Even with your help this assignment took a long time to finish.”

Joshua muffled a laugh behind his hand. “It’s only because you’re still struggling with English. After we continue to meet and you absorb everything I’m teaching, you’ll be able to finish these assignments in no time. It’s all a matter of practice.”

Joshua placed his chin in his palm. “Now that I remember the English classes here have a speaking portion to them as well don’t they?” He asked. Speaking meant pronunciation practice would have to be worked into the packed schedule of tutoring.

“Yea, they do. My pronunciation is kind of sad.” Jeonghan said.

Joshua hummed, “After a few sessions, I’ll speak in English more and make you speak back to me in English. That way we can tackle working on syntax, grammar, and your speaking skills.” He gave Jeonghan reassuring pats on his arm. “I’ll do my best to help you. Promise.” Joshua said as he grinned. That concluded the day’s first tutoring session; he watched as Jeonghan walked out to get to basketball practice. He began to pack up his things, hoping that the rest of the tutoring period would be easy and smooth.

* * *

 

And it was easy. A month had gone by and all the tutoring sessions go smoothly. Jeonghan showed up and Joshua taught. He showed Jeonghan tricks and rules to English grammar, held conversations in half English and half Korean because Jeonghan really wasn’t kidding when he said his pronunciation was sad, and helped the blond with his homework.

One Tuesday however, didn’t start out so smooth. Jeonghan came in looking stressed. He had the look of a person who had one too many days of little sleep and the mounting stress was eating at him. The other boy’s normally sleek looking blond hair looked limp and sad. Joshua started out the lesson as normal, but hearing the constants sighs from Jeonghan got to him. Turning away from the white board he said, “Let’s take a break. You sound frustrated and all the sighing isn’t helping you or me at this point.”

“A break? Like a 10-minute break?” Jeonghan asked.

Joshua shook his head. “No. Like a do something to get rid of your frustration break. Like basketball.” He teased, “You know so I can see what all the rumors about your skills are all about? I’ve heard so much about how you’re good, but I’ve yet to see any evidence.” He smirked at the blond.

Jeonghan stared at him for a good few seconds before nodding in agreement. “Not in the school gym though. Or even on school grounds. Coach would be pissed if he heard I was playing around with my tutor instead of getting taught.”

Joshua laughed. “No, definitely not on school grounds. I was thinking of a local park’s basketball court. It’s only a couple of minutes away and it’s generally unoccupied since it’s not in the best condition now. Let’s go.” He smiled at Jeonghan, who gave him a grin back in return. Joshua packed up his English for dummies books as the other boy put away his notes.

Together they walked to the park in question with Joshua leading the way. Like any basketball nut, Jeonghan had a basketball in his gym bag at all times it seemed. Joshua stayed on the sidelines as he watched Jeonghan dribble the ball in a mild warm up exercise. The blond got into showing Joshua tricks. He pulled out small things like three pointers and flashy moves with a smile on his face; it left Joshua a bit breathless. He whooped, shouted out encouragement, and clapped for the blond.

After going through his skill set, he tried to persuade Joshua to play one-on-one with him. Joshua shook his head, laughed into his hand, and said, “Nooo. I’m not very good. I’m more of a soccer kid. I played lots of soccer back in LA.”

“Come on. Please. I’ll teach you some simple skills before we play. Just play with me once.” The blond said with a pout.

Looking at the pitiful face Jeonghan pulled, Joshua sighed and agreed to an impromptu lesson and a short game. “First person to reach 5 points wins.”

Jeonghan nodded happily. He then proceeded to show Joshua the textbook position to shoot the ball. Joshua tried to mimic the position, taking pointers from Jeonghan’s own demonstration. But it apparently wasn’t good enough as the blond came up from behind him and started to fix the position his arms were in. He took Joshua’s wrists and moved them slightly and angled his hands more. Then he bent Joshua’s elbow. Whispering into his ear, Jeonghan explained how to aim and shoot. Joshua wasn’t sure if it was due to the blonde’s proximity or just because his ears were sensitive, but he could feel blood rushing to his cheeks. He turned his head slightly to the side shyly and to get away from what was making his heart pound.

They had played a short game with Jeonghan winning of course, but he did lose the ball quite a few times. Which Joshua thought odd, but what he knew about defense and basketball were pretty low. It just meant that Jeonghan was in his personal space a lot more than he was comfortable with, thanks to the blush inducing lesson from earlier.

They played like that for half an hour before Jeonghan netted his last basket, winning their short game. They were panting at the bench where they left their stuff when Jeonghan said, “Let me buy you coffee or a smoothie or something in thanks for getting me out of my funk and for being a great tutor so far.”

“Oh, there’s no need. You doing well on your future tests will be good enough for me.” Joshua replied. In all honesty, he just wanted to go home and not think about how Jeonghan made him feel weird.

“Come on. One drink. Pleassse.” He said, dragging out his words while picking up Joshua’s hand, clinging to it.

Joshua sighed and nodded in assent. Obviously this guy was persistent. One drink wasn’t going to kill him, or make him blush more he hoped. The two then walked to a café to grab drinks and cool down from the exercise.

Jeonghan sat across Joshua at the table, but it felt like he was even closer than that. The lesson at the basketball courts made Joshua much more aware of him than before. Especially since Jeonghan’s long blond hair had accidentally swept itself across his cheek as Jeonghan whispered to him about how to shoot. It made Joshua’s stomach clench. When the blonde’s knee brushed his under the small table, he wanted to pull back but he’d hit the other table’s occupant and that’d be rude. So he sat there feeling the heat from Jeonghan’s legs next to his, while drinking his iced coffee, trying not to blush while listening to Jeonghan speak.

* * *

 

He went home and picked apart the situation. Joshua couldn’t actually be going weak kneed for someone at this point could he. The dark haired boy liked his personal space, and people breaking his personal bubble irked him a bit. He was surprised he didn’t tell Jeonghan to back off during their little impromptu lesson. Joshua just let him into his space and blushed like a schoolgirl with a crush. He let out a groan and threw himself on his bed and rolled around for a few seconds; he didn’t need this now. He didn’t have the time for this kind of thing. _Then again was it even a thing_ , he thought. Propping himself up on his elbows, Joshua wondered who could he go to for advice. It was possible he was just overreacting and it was just the psychical exertion that got to him and that he didn’t like Jeonghan in that way at all. There was Seungkwan and Vernon, but even thinking of asking the couple was just… no. They’d never let him live. Even if he was their hyung, Seungkwan would tease Joshua until he snapped. Shaking his head, the black haired boy decided he’d ask Aron on the weekend for some advice. The college student would have more experience and he wouldn’t tease Joshua too much. With that plan in mind, he pushed the weird stomach flipping thoughts out of his mind.

* * *

 

The next tutoring session came two days later, with Joshua putting those odd thoughts into the corner of his mind until he could deal with them. He acted as normal as he could as he smiled his customary smile at Jeonghan and got to business. Joshua went through the motions until he started to correct the day’s worksheets.

Looking at the practice test and homework results from that day’s tutoring session in his hands, Joshua looked at Jeonghan and said, “I think we should add some more tutoring days.” With a wry smile on his face, he sighed, “You’re doing much better. But with your next test in two weeks and with official basketball games happening soon; in order for you to play on the court, you’ll need to ace the next couple of tests and all future homework assignments. Which at the rate at we’re going it would take too long for you to understand the material well enough to get A’s right away.” Jeonghan grimaced.

Joshua placed his papers down and slid it across the table for Jeonghan to take a look at his score. Jeonghan his eyes widened in surprise. There was tangible proof that all the tutoring was actually paying off. The amount of red marks on his papers were a lot smaller than before they started, which was a testament to both his learning skill and Joshua’s teaching.

“You’re free on the weekends right?” He asked. Jeonghan nodded yes.

“Let’s starting meeting on the weekends for a few hours so we can accelerate the pace.” Joshua declares. He had wanted to avoid weekend tutoring, but with important things coming soon, he had no choice but to have extra sessions with Jeonghan. It would be even more awkward at this point thanks to the last tutoring session that turned into something like a date. “There’s this café called Mansae in the area, we can meet up there this Saturday. After lunch around 2:00 pm?”

Jeonghan replied, “I’ve heard of that place. I can be there at 2pm.”

“Perfect. With the weekends I think you’ll be ready for that test and you’ll be on that basketball court before you know it!” Joshua exclaimed and beamed at him. The sooner he got Jeonghan to the skill level he needed in English the sooner he’d be able to not see the other boy any longer. Joshua had plans already. Nowhere did it involve getting a boyfriend, handsome and pretty though he was. The black haired boy had no intentions of falling. None whatsoever.


	3. Chaotic Feelings that Come to an end

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua jumps from like him to I want to stop liking him a lot. And he blushes a lot as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Minhyun and Ren are the same age as Joshua and the 95line of Seventeen but for purposes sake I decided to make them a little older here.

Joshua texted Aron that Thursday night, but the other LA native replied saying he was busy for the next few days but they could talk on Saturday when he had his next shift at the café. Short of asking one of his other friends, Joshua would just have to wait.

He thought long and hard about what happened and concluded that he maybe did have a minor _crush_ on Jeonghan. The other boy was lively and attractive. Shallow as it was, Joshua wasn’t going to lie to himself about Jeonghan’s handsome looks. Despite coming to this conclusion, he knew that it could go nowhere. Joshua adamant about going back to California for school, didn’t need to get involved with someone. That would only lead to heartache and tears. He needed to squash the minor crush down to nothing. He had too. Jeonghan probably didn’t even like him that anyhow. A crush was a crush, nothing more.

* * *

Saturday morning woke him up bright and early. The birds chirped away as normal, he could make out the tiny sounds of his parents shuffling around in the kitchen, and he laid in bed panicking a little. The two started their weekend tutoring sessions today. It meant more time with Jeonghan, teaching him, and having to see him. The situation would exacerbate the minor crush. He would have to tread carefully.

He grabbed his customary café uniform that consisted of a white button up, black slacks, and his vest.  Joshua glanced down at the floor eyes wandering to find the bag of English for dummies info. It would have to come with him for the next two days. Getting Jeonghan prepped for his next English test definitely required some work. Both boys would have to put in more time and Jeonghan was hopefully spending more time at home studying English. Otherwise the long haired one wouldn’t be playing in the upcoming games like he wanted. That would do neither of them any good, because Joshua would be out of his letters of rec and Jeonghan would still be benched. Then he would have to spend even more time with him.

Joshua grabbed the bag and said his goodbyes to his parents after breakfast was over. His mom would be in and out of meetings and phone calls to stock up on supplies and for upcoming events that would have the café shut down to the public. He considered himself lucky; his mom wouldn’t overhear his conversation with Aron later. Both of them would be working the register and making coffee for a bit, giving him ample time to ask for his opinion on this minor crush. Every time he thought of it though he blushed. It embarrassed the crap out of him. He’d never been infatuated with anybody, and now to get butterflies in his stomach over a guy, while he had plans that didn’t involve being in the same country within a year or two. Joshua couldn’t see how this would end well.

* * *

Arriving at the café he waved to Aron and Minhyun manning the front counter. He said his hellos to the rest of the staff on his way to his mom’s office. Taking out his keyring from his pocket he unlocked the door and carefully placed his guitar case in the corner near the bookshelf. Joshua dropped the bag of books near the case, and took off his jacket to deposit it on the back of the small couch that was situated against the wall. He walked out and locked the door once more, placing the keys back in his pocket.

Back in the front counter, he took an apron off the hook and grabbed his name pin from the bucket and fixed it to his apron. He watched as Aron and Minhyun finished up with a customer’s order, thinking on how he was going to approach the subject. Best get over with it and just blurt it out he thought. The two turned back to him, giving him a slap on the back.

“So, what did you want to talk about?” Aron said, eyes questioning.

Minhyun eyes widened and said, “Ooh, something interesting going on in your life now Joshua?”

He blushed, “Nothing that interesting ok. I just needed some clarification.”

“I’m hurt. I thought we were close Joshua.” Minhyun said, miming being shot in the heart, exaggerating his pain.

Joshua shook his head, with a small smile. “We are. I just needed someone who would tell me the truth straight up without sugarcoating anything.”

“You mean bluntly, without concern for people’s feelings?” He said pointing to Aron with a smile on his face. “That’s Aron to a T.” he said teasing smirk playing on his face.

“Hey,” Aron said giving Minhyun a side eye glare, “Josh, meant a person who tells it as it is.”

“Whatever you say hyung.” Minhyun singsonged, a playful glint in his eyes.

Joshua laughed. He needed this off his mind so clearing his throat, the words tumbled out his mouth, “I think I have a crush on someone.” His lips pressed together and could feel his shoulders hunch in. “I mean I’m not sure but it kind of feels like a crush feels. I never had one before and it’s just weird and I can’t be having one now.” He rambled, shoulders tense under their scrutinizing looks.

Minhyun and Aron looked at each other, lips twitching. Simultaneously they said, “You’ve never— “They looked at each other again, gesturing for one to begin.

Taking the lead, Minhyun asked kindly, “You’ve never had a crush on someone before? Like never?”

Joshua nodded in confirmation. “How can you know that you have a crush on them then?” Aron pointed out.

“I blush when they get close. Those butterflies in the stomach thing? I have that feeling when I think about them and when I keep thinking about what happened the other day.” With each sentence, his voice rose and the words rushed out. Incredulously he said, “I blushed over how close he was! Blushed!” realizing too late he outed the gender of his crush. Joshua’s cheeks pinked and he turned to look at the side.

“A guy?” They blurted. Peeking at them, Joshua saw their wide eyes and slack jaws. He nodded lightly in confirmation.

“I didn’t see this coming.” Minhyun said. Aron nodded.

“Well it’s not the end of the world. Liking a guy doesn’t make you different in our eyes.” Aron stated, clapping him on the back in comfort.

“That’s not what I’m worried about though. I could care less about his gender right now. I want to know if it is a crush and how do I make it go away.” Joshua said, voice laced with fear.

Placing his hands on his shoulders, Aron said lightly, “Hey, calm down. Why do you want to make it go away? Having a crush is someone is very normal.”

“Yea. There’s nothing bad about having one.”

Shrugging off Aron’s hands, Joshua gave a small glare to the both of them. “Yes, there is. Especially since I don’t have plans to stay here in Korea past another year. I don’t want to get any closer to him than I already am. What if I happen to keep falling for him? What if I want to pursue a relationship? It wouldn’t be good. I’m not changing my plans. Not over something that may not last.” He let out a huge breath, his cheeks pink from exertion of spewing all these words out. His head drooped, “What am I even saying? He might not even like me back.” Joshua wanted the world to open a hole and just swallow him up at this point, this was embarrassing and he hated having to ask for help. “I just want these feelings to stop.”

Minhyun patted him on the head, trying to comfort him.

Aron said, “So this guy…is he a looker?” with a teasing lilt to his voice. Joshua looked at him bewildered.

Minhyun picked up on that train of thought and said, “Is he handsome or more of the pretty type? Is he your type? Do you even have one?” His voice full of mirth as he continued.

“Wha-at?” He sputtered. Switching between the two of them he looked at them eyes wide.

“Does your crush look hot? To you at least? Who is he? A classmate?” Minhyun asked, his eyes looking like they had sparkles dancing within.

Aron snapped his fingers. “That kid you’re tutoring in English! The one you complained about the other day when you dropped by to grab a drink on your way home.” He stroked his chin pausing, ”Hey, didn’t you say he spaced out sometimes…. maybe it’s because he’s too busy looking at you.”

“Probably awestruck by your big, sparkly eyes, and your cute smile.” Minhyun said, poking at Joshua’s cheek.

“True.” Aron added, slinging his arm around Minhyun with a wide grin.

Joshua looked at them incredulously. “Did you two drink some drugged coffee this morning or something?”

They laughed, clutching at each other to keep from falling. “No. But I’m pretty sure half of the stuff the kid you’re tutoring did was because he was too in to you. Spacing out. I think you mentioned it that it was nice that he was actually paying attention. Well…I would too if my tutor was hot.” Aron stated smiling slyly.

“Right. I remember when I went to cram school and the teacher was really pretty. I paid extra attention.” Minhyun mentioned.

“Oh my gosh you two! He probably doesn’t even like me back. What on earth are you guys on?” Joshua asked, confusion etched on his face.

“May not like you back? Have you seen yourself?”

“Or the customers who come back to see you? You’re quite the looker. We have some regulars just because you work here on the weekends. It’s not even just the way you look too. You’re so polite it’s ridiculous. You’re almost like the poster child for perfect son-in-law material.”

“it’s probably his obliviousness, Minyun. You know stuff like flirting goes over his head. He’s innocent. Like a lamb. That’s why he doesn’t know when the wolves are out for him.”

“True. He didn’t notice last week, that one guy was hitting on him. Or one of his regulars blushed when he asked if she wanted her normal order.”

“You two are nuts. And making my head hurt.” Joshua groaned. “You didn’t even answer my question either.”

“Given what you just told us. Yea you have a crush on him. And he most likely has one on you too. You know, in case you were wondering.”

“I wasn’t wondering. Thanks for the info anyhow.” He replied sarcastically.

“There’s that sass. Some of your regulars like it you know?” Minhyun mentioned.

“I could’ve lived my life without knowing that.” Joshua replied pulling a face. “Ugh. Enough get back in the kitchen Aron. You’re not supposed to be out here anyhow.”

“I see. It’s like that huh. When I’m done being useful I’m banished.” Aron teased. Joshua stuck out his tongue at him. The older man laughed and walked through the doors into the kitchen.

“Not one more word out of you Minhyun. Please.” He stressed.

Minhyun chuckled. “I’m off soon anyway. Aron can tell me if anything juicy happens.” Joshua hung his head and sighed.

* * *

Joshua and Minhyun worked the counter until the lunch rush was over and Minhyun clocked off. As he hung up his apron, he ruffled Joshua’s hair and said, “Keep me updated on what happens.” Joshua scoffed.

Joshua manned the front as customers dwindled and the time ticked closer to 2pm. As he called out the name of one last drink, he heard the jingle that signaled another customer. Joshua raised his head and let out a loud welcome. Jeonghan walked in. He was dressed casually but he looked good, which was annoying. He wanted the crush to die not grow when he saw the guy. He waited as the blond walked up to the counter.

“Hey.” Joshua said with a smile. “Let me get someone to man the register really quick and we can get started.” He turned and walked into the kitchen calling out in English, “Aron! I need you at the register please.”

“Ooh.” He replied back in English as he walked to Joshua. Nudging him lightly, “Is the kid here?”

“Shush. Yes, he is. And before you say anything, I needed to add more tutoring hours.” Joshua flatly stated.

“Ok, ok. I get it. It’s not for spending more time with him.” Aron teased.

“It isn’t.” He huffed. “Now come on. He’s waiting. I’m going to be upstairs if you need anything.”

“Don’t need to get your stuff?”

“I set up earlier when I went on break.”

A few minutes later, they walked out. Joshua took off his apron and hung it up on a hook on the wall. He ignored Aron’s stares.

“I got the register Josh,” he said.

“Thanks Aron.” He said with a smile. The two of them bumped fists, and did their secret handshake. Even when Joshua could tell Aron was giddy with finally seeing Jeonghan in the flesh and wanting to tease Joshua some more.

Walking to Jeonghan, Joshua pointed to the stairway and stated, “Let’s go upstairs. We can work up there.”

Jeonghan followed him as Joshua led the way. He asked, “Is it ok for you to leave your job like that?”

Joshua laughed. “Oh. It’s not really a job. This place is owned by my mom. I come here and help out on the weekends and to spend time with her,” he explained as they climbed the stairs.

“That must keep you busy then. With your club, tutoring me, and then your weekends being occupied by me too now.”

“Well, the tutoring is only temporary. After you get back on track with the material and understand how to not fall into the same mistakes as before the tutoring is pretty much done and over. Then I have more free time again.” Joshua mused as he led them both to a table heavy with books and papers. Free time to stop the rushing feelings of infatuation with Jeonghan.

The other boy fell silent. “Jeonghan. Hey, calling Yoon Jeonghan. Anyone in there?” Jeonghan jerked back into reality. Joshua laughed, “Head got lost in the clouds again?” Aron’s words popped up in his head, ‘ _He’s probably too busy staring at you._ ’

“Nah. Just thinking about some things.”

Shaking his head, Joshua sat down and gestured towards the other bench for Jeonghan to sit. Opening a folder, Joshua took out practice worksheets. Handing them to Jeonghan he said, “Let’s get started.”

* * *

After an hour of learning and going over pronunciation, Aron approached their table with a wide grin on his face. “Joshua, it’s time for the weekend song jam.”

Joshua looked down at his watch. “You’re right. Crap.” He blushed, looking up to Jeonghan he said, “Umm so I forgot to tell you every weekend I play a few songs at the café. It’ll only take me like fifteen minutes. I’ll be back. Get some coffee. It’s on me.”

He gave his friend a small glare in warning to not say anything unnecessary while he was gone. Aron just smiled back smugly. With that he ran down the stairs. He jogged the rest of the way to his mom’s office and grabbed his guitar, locking the door behind him. The faster he performed the less likely Aron had a chance to say something to Jeonghan.

Joshua started setting up the mics he needed, quietly saying hello to the café’s regulars who were in his proximity. He settled himself on a stool with his guitar in his arms. After his customary message to those who were in the audience, he strummed the first few chords of one his most practiced songs and opened his mouth and sang. He let the words flow out softly, like honey drizzled on dessert. Joshua finished the song up as normal with a shy smile on his face and a small nod. Moving onto the next song announcing that he had learned something new for once, which the regulars gave a little chuckle because they knew his regular set by now even if he changed up the mix of songs frequently. Rubbing his hands on his slacks, he flashed a quick smile and began. G-Dragon and TOP’s _baby goodnight_ filled the café on the first floor.

Joshua finished the song with a last strum of his guitar. Smiling at the audience and the applause, he bowed. he looked around smiling at the regulars and the new customers, until he felt eyes bore into him. Jeonghan stared at him in awe it seemed. Joshua looked away in embarrassment. Aron’s words echoed in his mind; he felt the tell-tale sign of blood rushing to his cheeks.

Joshua walked off the small stage and approached Jeonghan cautiously with his guitar in hand. “You watched?” He asked, looking at Jeonghan, his eyes slightly downcast.

He heard Jeonghan clear his throat, and he replied, “Yeah. Your voice is pretty.”

Joshua smiled. It was one thing to hear that he sounded good from the regulars, friends, and even his family; but hearing it from someone that he had on a crush on felt different.

“Did you get something to drink while you down here?” he asked.

Jeonghan opened his mouth but he was beat by Aron. “He ordered two iced Americanos. He even paid for them, one for you and one for him.”

“You didn’t have to do that. I told you it was on me.” He said looking at Jeonghan in dismay.

“He insisted Josh. Isn’t he a nice guy?” Aron said with a smile on his face. Joshua looked at Aron, suspicious at his super friendly manner, wondering if he said anything funny to Jeonghan while he sang.

“Thanks, Jeonghan. Can you bring them to up when they’re done Aron?” Aron nodded. “Let’s get back to work then. Just let me put my guitar away. I’ll be up in a minute.” The black haired boy walked off back to his mom’s office. He snuck a glance behind him and noticed that Aron and Jeonghan were talking. Joshua made a mental note to ask Aron what he spilled to the blond.

* * *

Playing with the piano in the music room he wondered how Jeonghan had done on the first test after all their tutoring. Joshua remembered that Jeonghan had been nervous and wanted to spend a lot of time going over all the material. The day of the test he came to their study room looking dazed; tired and dazed, but a smile on his face. When he asked how he had done, the blond smiled at Joshua like he saved the blonde’s life. Time passed so the test would have to be passed back soon enough. He hoped that every little bit of time they spent studying proved to be fruitful.

Lightly tapping on the keys, he hummed an old song getting lost in the sound until he heard the door bang open. He turned and saw the boy who occupied his thoughts on a regular basis.

“Jeonghan! What are you doing here?” He asked in surprise.

He whipped out his test and said, “Look at the score.” Jeonghan vibrated with excitement. The smile on his face wide with happiness.

Joshua looked down at the paper. His face formed a huge grin. “You did it! An A! Keep this up and you’ll be playing at the official games next month.” Joshua smiled back at him, lips pulled into a wide grin. He felt himself being lifted all of the sudden. Startled Joshua grabbed onto Jeonghan as the blond spun him around. Despite being a basketball player, Jeonghan’s apparently arms weren’t that strong; as they both ended up on the floor, with Jeonghan’s head meeting the linoleum. He felt the other’s boy heartbeat beneath his hand and he tried to get up, but Jeonghan still had him in his arms. Worried Joshua cried out, “Oh my gosh! Are you ok? Jeonghan?”

Jeonghan groaned. He let out a peal of laughter. “I’m fine. I got a little too excited.”

Getting off of Jeonghan, he stood up and laughed. Giving him a hand up, Joshua said, “I can tell. I haven’t been lifted like that since I was a little kid.” He decided he might as well ask if Jeonghan wanted to eat with him. Even if he wanted the crush to go away, somehow he still wanted to spend time with the other boy. So Joshua asked with an impish smile, “Since you’re already here, want to eat lunch with me?” The blond nodded enthusiastically.

They spent the rest of lunch talking and eating the lunch that Joshua’s mom packed for him. Joshua rambled on about his love of music when Jeonghan’s finger came into view. Shocked he froze while Jeonghan raised his finger and swiped something onto his thumb. Joshua eyes widened, blinking slowly at Jeonghan. The blond licked a rice piece off his thumb, while Joshua sat stock still completely surprised. Jeonghan opened his mouth, only to get interrupted.

Bursting into the room Seungkwan shouted, “Joshua hyung! You won’t believe it!”

 Followed Vernon, “Boo! For god sakes don’t go screaming into the room, you know Joshua sleeps here sometimes.”

He could feel his cheeks warm, _‘Why was he constantly blushing these days?_ ’. Turning around, Joshua gave a small giggle. “What’s up Seungkwan? Vernon, it’s ok. You of all people should know Seungkwan’s habits by now.”

“You heard Joshua hyung, Vernon. It’s fine. Anyway before I was rudely interrupted,” giving Vernon a dirty look, “We passed the semi-finals for the summer festival we participated in! We’re in the finals! Cash prizes and a trophy could be ours hyung! Jihoon wants us to come up with a new set list for the competition and have more practices.” 

“That’s great! We can always practice at Mansae. Mom doesn’t mind and I think the customers actually like hearing us all the time. Ah, but on the weekends it’ll have to wait until I finish tutoring Jeonghan.” He said, running a finger over his lip musingly. Passing the semi-finals meant more work, but it also meant more time away from his confusing thoughts of I like Jeonghan but I want it to stop.

At that, both underclassmen swerved their eyes Jeonghan’s way. Seungkwan gave a sly smile. Vernon just looked at Jeonghan funny. “So you’re the person who’s been taking up all of Joshua’s time. Nice to meet you Jeonghan-hyung. How’s the tutoring going?” Seungkwan said.

“Nice to meet you too. Tutoring is going pretty good so far. Hopefully within a few months I can return Joshua to the music club full time.” Hearing that the smile on Joshua’s face disappeared. He felt a small pang in his heart. He knew realistically any relationship that he started would end when he went back to the states, yet he still felt sad over the idea of not seeing Jeonghan anymore even for tutoring. Joshua needed to grab a hold on his feelings before they spiraled out of control.

 The blond turned to the half foreign looking boy and asked, “And you’re in music club too I’m assuming?”

“Only when they need some rapping. Otherwise I’m just a spectator.” The boy said with a shrug. Just as Seungkwan was going to ask more questions. Joshua cleared his throat. He interrupted their grilling by pointing out the time and how they should be going towards class unless they wanted to be late.

Outside his room, Joshua said to Jeonghan, “It was nice eating lunch with you. Congratulations again on that A.”

“The only reason I got that A was thanks to you.” He said rubbing his hand over his head in an embarrassed manner.

Joshua shook his head and turned to enter his class, but he turned around and said, “I’ll see you tomorrow Jeonghan.”

* * *

The first test came and went, followed by a series of quizzes and homework assignments. As the first game for the basketball team got closer and closer, Jeonghan got more and more jittery. Joshua saw as he would shake his leg, have his attention wander, and the corner of his eyes pinch from the fluorescent lighting due to the lack of sleep. Once Jeonghan received the confirmation he could play in the game, the little signs of stress disappeared.

Two days before the first official game, they had another session. Joshua waited for Jeonghan to sit before he began the day’s tutoring material. they spent the next two hours going over the material. As Joshua put away his teaching materials, Jeonghan pulled out a ticket and slid it towards Joshua. “If you have time tomorrow, here’s a ticket for the first official basketball game,” he said with an eager smile on his lips.

Joshua’s slight smile fell, taking on a sorrowful expression. “I’m sorry Jeonghan. I don’t think I’ll be able too. The music club is having the final part of the competition tomorrow. I have no idea of when it’ll end. I don’t think I’ll have time to go your first game.” Which was true and not true, he knew what time the club performed, but didn’t know when they were going to be done.

“Ah…” pushing the ticket towards Joshua still, “Take it anyway. You never know.” He said. At that point he walked out of the room in a hurry. Joshua stared at his back as he hurried away. Sighing he looked at the ticket and wondered what he would do.

* * *

Joshua tried to not think about what had gone down that Tuesday. But memories kept popping up in his head at the most random times; when he was cooking his dinner, while he was doing his homework, even during music club practice. He was so distracted that he didn’t notice Seungkwan making pointing gestures at Jihoon who was walking his way until Jihoon bore down at him.  He flared his nostrils and _glared_ _down_ at Joshua in all his 164 cm glory, even though Joshua was a good 14 cm taller than Jihoon.

“Joshua hyung,” voice edged with annoyance, “Did you hear anything I said in the last 10 minutes?”

He lowered his head, pushed back into his seat, and shook his head. Jihoon let out a gust of air and a minor growl. “Seungkwan! Get him up to speed. And stop dozing off hyung, the competition is tomorrow! We need you at your best.”

He nodded meekly, knowing he was in the wrong this time. He let his mind wander over Jeonghan. He needed help. He had to go back to talk to Aron and Minhyun; Joshua hoped they knocked some sense into him.

* * *

He dropped by the café this time for a needed talk. He was confused about what to do. Joshua knew two things: he liked Jeonghan, and that he wanted to stop liking him but at the same time he didn’t. Both were contradicting each other, but a crush that never came to fruition would die. He half hoped for that to happen and half hoped it wouldn’t. Joshua needed some advice, and a push in the right direction, whichever it might be.

“So, you sounded really desperate on the phone earlier. What’s up? Something big happen with your crush?” Minhyun said, as he pushed a latte towards Joshua.

Taking a sip, as calmly as he could, Joshua asked, “First, why is Minki sitting next to you when he should be behind the register? And where’s Aron?”

“I heard about your problem and I couldn’t help but come here to help our little Joshie figure things out. Your first crush! Someone caught your eye. I’m so proud.”

Giving Minki a dirty look he said dryly, “You’re not my mom. Is Aron taking your place at the register?”

“No, he called in sick. He caught the stomach flu from his roommate. He said to tell you sorry he couldn’t be here to help you in your inner turmoil.” Minhyun reported with a cheeky grin. “So what’s the problem?”

“Jeonghan asked me to go to the first official basketball game, but I don’t know if I’ll be done with the competition in time tomorrow and I’m not even sure if I would go even if I finished early. I kind of want to go, but at the same time I don’t.” Every single time he talked about Jeonghan and his problems about this crush, he just rambled and spilled everything like water on the floor. It embarrassed him.

“So he essentially asked you to see him play, since Aron told me he’s a basketball player, but you might be busy. On the other hand, if you finish early you’re not sure if you want to go. Is that right?” Minhyun asked.

Joshua nodded, taking another sip of his latte to try and calm himself down.

“What’s the problem though?” Minki said. “You like him. Isn’t that reason enough to go if you finish early?”

“I have plans after next year to go back to California. I don’t need a relationship complicating things. I don’t want this crush to grow bigger. If I see him play it will. It’s like if I see him at all it grows.” He said with a pout.

“But you like him. Don’t you want to see where it could go?” Minhyun asked.

“He could be your first love Shua!” Minki exclaimed smiling.

Hand folding into a fist, he said in a small voice, “And if I fall in love and my plans don’t change and he doesn’t want a long distance relationship nor does he want to follow me, what do I do then?” Joshua looked at them, eyes glittering, “It’s gambling with my heart and I don’t know if I’m ready for that.”

Minhyun grabbed his fist and carefully unfolded it, seeing the half crescent marks he made in his palm. He tsked and said, “It’s scary, I know. But sometimes you have to take the risk and plunge in. Otherwise you’re not living life to the fullest and you’ll always regret not having tried.” Holding Joshua’s hand and giving his head a few pats, “Regret is an ugly emotion. It haunts you for a long time.” He said with a brittle smile.

“Life is all about taking risks and seeing where you end up. He could be your happy ending Shua. If he’s not, then it’s not the end of the world. You just have to pick up your pieces and start again. We’ll be here to help.” Minki said, moving over to give him a half hug.

“I’ll think about.” Joshua said, looking at his cup.

* * *

The day of the competition he still hadn’t decided. It scared him. The possibilities that could happen. He wasn’t ready, so he pushed the game out of his head and they went upstage to perform. They did their set list, bowed, and walked back down to wait for the other contestants to finish.

As the club prepared for to go on stage for the announcements of the winners, Seungkwan sidled up to him and asked, “Are you going to the basketball game after this hyung?”

Baffled Joshua looked at him and asked, “How do you know about that?”

“I have my sources. So are you going to go? He asked you right? That means he’s interested in you.”

“I don’t know Seungkwan.” He said shrugging off the younger boy’s hand.

“He’s the reason you were so distracted during practice the other day. I think you should go and confront it head on.”

“I’m not you Seungkwan. I can’t do that.”

“No, but you’re always so sure of what you want hyung. It’s admirable. You almost never waver in your decisions and in life. Where’s that guy now?” He asked, eyes serious.

Joshua shook his head. “I’m not sure this time. I seriously don’t know.” As he opened his mouth to say something else, the stage coordinator told them to get back on stage for the winner announcements. Walking up the stairs to the stage, he kept going back and forth between go, don’t go, go, don’t go.

As the MC started to announce the third place winner, Minhyun’s words echoed in his head, _‘Regret is an ugly emotion. It haunts you for a long time._ ’ And it was true. He regretted coming to Korea with his parents but he was here making the best of it. He made some close friends by trying out for the music club instead of being too afraid to try and audition. Joshua was sure he’d regret it if he didn’t join the club. He met he guys at the café, and he even met Jeonghan. he regretted that, yet he knew if he hadn’t decided to tutor him his life would have less memorable moments. As he wavered between going and not going, he heard his fellow club members roar and scream around him. Looking around confused, Seungkwan grabbed onto him sobbing, “We won! We won!”

“We won…oh my gosh we won!” He screamed as he patted Seungkwan on the back. As Jihoon collected their trophy and the other members held up the large check, he smiled so large that his jaw hurt. In that moment he decided to go. If he hadn’t tried out for the music club, he wouldn’t have been here celebrating with people who made his life colorful, more meaningful. Joshua would hurdle into the unknown and hoped for the best. Regret was ugly and he didn’t want any more ugliness in his life.

* * *

Joshua rushed back to school, hoping he’d make at least half of the game. As he neared the gym, he slowed down and caught his breath. He walked past the empty table where people checked tickets and quietly went in the open doors and let out a sigh of relief as the game was still going. Walking towards the bleachers, he glanced at the players’ bench and saw Jeonghan. He smiled.

He went up the bleachers stopping when he felt eyes on his back. Joshua turned and saw Jeonghan looking at him. He waved and cracked a grin as Jeonghan waved back. Settling down he looked on as players were switched out and Jeonghan went onto the court.  

Twenty minutes later the buzzer rang. The basketball team scored ten points over the challenging team. He clapped and cheered along with the other spectators as the team did their customary bows and handshakes with their opponents.

Jeonghan ran towards the bleachers where he Joshua sat. Breathing rather heavily he said, “Stay right here ok? I’ll be back out quick. I have something to say to you.”

“Sure.” Joshua said bemused and half scared at Jeonghan’s words. He waited as Jeonghan ran to the locker room to change and grab his stuff.  

Joshua sat there wondering what the other guy wanted to say. Stuck in his thoughts he was abruptly pulled out when Jeonghan called out, “Hey.”

The black haired boy laughed. “Hi.”

“So uh… I wanted to ask you… if you…”

“Hmmm.” Joshua inquired, tamping down on the bubbling anxiety.

Jeonghan bit his lip and blurted out, “I wanted to ask you if you would go on a date with me.” His voice echoed through the empty gym.

Joshua blushed. _What did he do now? He took the dive to get here, dare he take the dive to go out with him._

Grinning down at Jeonghan from his higher vantage point he replied, “Ok.” Letting out a huge breath.

 Jeonghan smiled in relief. Joshua made his way down the bleachers and towards him. “Ok, I’ll go on a date with you.” He couldn’t believe he was going to do this but, Joshua leaned into his personal space and gave Jeonghan a small kiss on the side of his mouth. Jeonghan blushed and grinned at Joshua wildly, his eyes filled with triumph.

It made Joshua smile, letting the anxiety leave him he said sassily, “You could’ve asked sooner though you know? I would’ve said yes.” Which wasn’t a complete lie, he probably only would’ve said yes in surprise, but best not let Jeonghan know that.

He grabbed Joshua’s hand, laced their fingers together, and kissed his forehead. Chuckling at him, Jeonghan held tight onto Joshua’s hand as he led them out the gym doors. Joshua hoped that taking this gamble wouldn’t hurt him too much.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no plans for now to continue writing in this verse, however I have some floating ideas on a sequel that'll be seeped in angst. But for now I have no immediate plans to write it. I'm going to focus on my new story Secrets in the Shadows. Shameless plug here but I set up a writing tumblr where you can pester me and send me requests, and where'll I'll post short drabbles that don't fit anywhere and any future timestamps of my stories there first. So far it's only filled with writing references, complaining and one drabble. But check it out if you want. liestotheheart.tumblr.com


End file.
